Teen arrested in robberies near East High School

A 15-year-old boy was arrested after two robberies minutes apart on Poplar in east Wichita on Monday, and police say he may be responsible for a number of other recent crimes as well.

A 61-year-old woman reported being robbed of cash as she was getting out of her car shortly before 4 p.m. in the 100 block of North Poplar, which is just east of Grove near East High School, Lt. Doug Nolte said. The suspect put his hand in a backpack and pointed it at her, indicating he had a gun.

He then walked north on Poplar, and a few minutes later a 45-year-old woman said a young man with a gun in his backpack came into her house on the same block as the other incident and robbed her.

Officers recognized the suspect’s methods and went to the address of a person they suspected in the crimes, Nolte said. After finding evidence linking him to the robberies, police booked the teen into the juvenile detention facility.